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Biomedical subjects

Michael K Magill

Publications and source records attributed to Michael K Magill.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Management of the difficult patient.

All physicians must care for some patients who are perceived as difficult because of behavioral or emotional aspects that affect their care. Difficulties may be traced to patient, physician, or health care system factors. Patient factors include psychiatric disorders, personality disorders, and subclinical behavior traits. Physician factors include overwork, poor communication skills, low level of experience, and discomfort with uncertainty. Health care system factors include productivity pressures, changes in health care financing, fragmentation of visits, and the availability of outside information sources that challenge the physician's authority. Patients should be assessed carefully for untreated psychopathology. Physicians should seek professional care or support from peers. Specific communication techniques and greater patient involvement in the process of care may enhance the relationship.

Communication↗
PubMed2003

New developments in the management of hypertension.

The management of hypertension has evolved over the past decade. Isolated systolic blood pressure elevation, the most common form of uncontrolled hypertension, is recognized as a significant risk factor for vascular complications in patients with hypertension. Nutritional management of hypertension has moved beyond simply restricting sodium intake to ensuring that patients consume adequate amounts of the major food groups, particularly those containing calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Selective aldosterone receptor blockers are a new class of antihypertensive medication, and the angiotensin-receptor blocker class has several new additions. However, the main-stay of treatment remains a diuretic or a combination of a diuretic and either a beta blocker or an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor. Hypertension is a significant risk factor for vascular complications of diabetes, and the target blood pressure in patients with diabetes or chronic renal disease and hypertension should be lower than that in patients with hypertension alone. Controlling hypertension in elderly patients can reduce their complications at least as much as it does those of younger patients with hypertension.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

The Utah rural residency study: a blueprint for evaluating potential sites for development of a 4-4-4 family practice residency program in a rural community.

CONTEXT: Most graduates of rural residencies enter rural practice. Rural residencies therefore have emerged over the past 2 decades to increase the supply of rural physicians. However, researchers have published few descriptions of strategies to evaluate and select communities in which to locate rural residencies. PURPOSE: This report describes the development and application of such a strategy to assess 7 rural communities in Utah as potential sites for family practice residency training. METHODS: Criteria were developed on the basis of an examination of the literature, residency accreditation requirements, and characteristics of existing rural residency programs. Ten rural or frontier communities with hospitals were selected as study candidates, and 7 agreed to participate. Data were collected through hospital surveys, state hospital discharge records, and community site visits. FINDINGS: Specific evaluation criteria that were developed included the presence of a medical practice of the appropriate specialty and size, a sufficient number of medical subspecialty physicians, an adequate number and mix of hospitalized patients, an adequate number of ambulatory patients, adequate outpatient facility space to accommodate learners, and a commitment by the practicing physician and hospital to lead the program and teach residents. Two communities were found to be potentially capable of supporting a residency if physicians and hospital leaders in the communities were to become motivated to lead program development. CONCLUSIONS: These criteria may be useful in other states, but they have not been tested for validity or reliability and are subject to limitations such as exclusion of alternate rural residency models. Future research should address data needs and the relationship of the evaluation criteria to the quality of resident learning.

Accreditation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A different perspective.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Successful turnaround of a university-owned, community-based, multidisciplinary practice network.

PURPOSE: The University of Utah purchased a 100-clinician, 9-practice multi-specialty primary care network in 1998. The university projected the network to earn a profit the first year of its ownership in a market with growing capitation; however, capitation declined and the network incurred up to a 21 million dollars operating loss per year. This case study describes the financial turnaround of the network. METHODS: In 2001, the university reconfigured the practices for a fee-for-service environment while preserving the group's multidisciplinary clinical and ancillary services. Changes included reorganization under the existing University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics system, new governance and leadership, closure of practices, creation of a billing office, new financial reporting, implementation of electronic health records, revision of physician compensation, capture of referrals, leadership and staff training, and practice reengineering. RESULTS: The network as a whole became profitable in 2004-2005. Its primary care component is projected to become profitable in 2 to 3 years. The network is opening new sites strategically important to the health system. CONCLUSIONS: This turnaround required commitment from senior university leaders, management with knowledge of primary care practice, retention of ancillary revenues, and management and business services specific to the network with support from other units within the university. Culture change within the group was essential. Our experience suggests that an academic health center can successfully operate a primary care network by attending to the unique needs of this challenging business. Doing so can strengthen the institution's overall financial and clinical performance and provide an important setting for teaching and research.

Community Health Centers↗